5 Reasons to Read “It Was Me All Along” – A Review and {GIVEAWAY}

Truthfully, I think the last one that captured my heart like this one did was Eat Pray Love, which continues to be an inspiration and guiding force in my life. I’ve read EPL no less than 7 times and every time I learn something new. This month, I’ve found my next Eat Pray Love.

Eat Pray Love is my spiritual journey… the story of finding hope, joy, and love in this crazy world in which we live. It Was Me All Along is a version of my childhood, my weight loss story, my feelings about the weight all captured in a book… written much more beautifully than I could have ever expressed it. I’ve never read a book that was “more me” than this one, and I’m so grateful Andie was brave enough to share this story.

I’m going to do my best to capture what I love about this book, without (hopefully) droning on too long. That’s why I’ve limited myself to just FIVE reasons you need to read this book, instead of five hundred. I’ve also included a few snippets that I was compelled to live-tweet along the way…

Andie’s story was one of the first I read, one of the first weight loss blogs that showed me that significant weight loss was possible. And, she had done it. She wasn’t just writing about the process, but she was in maintenance mode and creating the most beautiful dishes. She inspired me immediately.

Through her blog and now through the book, the story of how she lost the weight captivated me. She has done something that no one I’ve “met” to date had done. She makes weight loss seem beautiful. When I was carrying 70 extra pounds, there was very little I would have described to be beautiful. Andie made all 130+ pounds that she lost seem gorgeous.

Full-disclosure, her writing style can cause hunger pains in the night. There are points in the book where I literally felt hungry. The way she describes food and cooking can only be written by someone who truly loves food.

Her words will pull you in. This, I guarantee…

Reason #2: It Demonstrates that People Just Don’t Wake Up Obese

You heard me, America. We’re not just obese because we eat cheeseburgers and don’t workout enough. While some people do put on weight because of ever-present fast food and a sedentary lifestyle, weight gain (and weight loss) is INCREDIBLY complex.

Andie opens the kimono and shares how and why she gained the weight. These chapters broke my heart as we see a young Andie trying to understand her alcohol-abusing father’s behaviors, navigating her social scene in high school and college as the “big girl” in the group, and ultimately, we see her emerge post-weight loss with a tremendous amount of learning still to be done.

As someone who’s lived through a similar process, let me assure you… her words speak the truth of how it feels to go through this journey.

Reason #3: It Talks About Things No One is Talking About

Andie chronicles her childhood in the early chapters of the book. She talks about her home life and describes a very familiar recipe for how she gained the weight. Familiar to this girl, at least. She talks about how difficult it can be for a child to deal with grown-up issues, and how she ate to smother the pain and to ignore what was going on. I’ve always considered my eating habits as a child to be my shameful dirty secrets… not anymore. I’m clearly not alone in this. There’s at least two of us out there… and I’m certain many, many more that don’t speak of it.

She makes me want to look back at that young girl who was me. To understand and appreciate more about what she was doing. How she was in survival mode so much of the time, despite the smile on her face… There is more to my story here. This I am certain.

Reason #4: It Promotes Growth and Conversation

I talk a lot on NTTC about how important I think “real-talk” is… and how that’s where we grow, that’s where we release, and that’s where the magic happens. This book is real-talk at its finest.

You’ve seen it on my Facebook page, and through text messages if you’re a close friend of mine. I’ve been gushing about this book every since I started reading it.

I’ve had so many chats with women about emotional eating, eating habits that developed during childhood, and how we all need to be having this conversation.

Without even trying, Andie is generating a significant conversation within my circles about emotional eating and, more importantly, how to conquer it once and for all. With the hundreds of thousands of copies she’s selling, I can’t help but hope that the story (and associated real-talk) becomes a world-wide epidemic. It’s time.

Reason #5: It Reminds Me that “It (Really) Was Me All Along”

The conclusion of the book was one of my favorite chapters. And, it very eloquently captures the meaning behind the title of the book.

“Here’s the truth I’ve come to know: fat or thin, it was me all along. I don’t flip pages of my baby book and think, Dear, what cankles you had! I don’t see my adolescent self, my teenage self, and wish those pictures, scrapbooked and framed, would disappear…. My life, big, was always all I knew. And that is perfect in its own right.” – Andie Mitchell

Yes, yes, and yes!!!! Enough with feeling ashamed for any moment in your life. Enough hiding of the pictures where you were overweight. Every blessed part of it is you. Every single moment made you the beautiful creature you are today. And the same is true for all of us… Embrace it.

Disclosure: I received a pre-release copy of It Was Me All Along from the publisher to review; however, all opinions expressed in this post are explicitly my own. Of note, the publishing house is also sponsoring the giveaway I’m sharing as part of this post.

Comments

I have struggled my whole life with my weight. To this day, my 31 year old self will sometimes look in the mirror and not feel pretty. Which is horrible. I was an overweight child but I never felt the pressure to be “thin.” Then high school hit. I’ve been following your blog as well as a few other weight loss/healthy lifestyle blogs and really see that I am definitely not alone. This book seems like it will give me the inspiration to look better upon myself than I do currently.

Your blog post alone has inspired me! While on a weight loss journey with not only myself, but my husband too, I feel it necessary to know that I am not alone and that anything is possible. I think this book is an amazing tool to use as a story of success and motivation!

As a child that struggled with how to handle/navigate/survive the adult problems happening around me I can totally relate to this story. Oh and the 130 pound weight loss thing, that too. I cannot wait to read this book!

I read this book last month and I agree with you 100%. It is an amazing book that tells a story that is completely missing from popular culture. It’s actually funny to think about. There are how many overweight people who grew up as the fat kid, and no one is telling our story? I related to this book so much. The points that really made me take notice were how positive Andie was, and how though she went through horrible things she was still able to be positive. She actually had so many great things about her life as an overweight person, and she doesn’t act like her life was horrible until she lost the weight. I feel like we are constantly told that life is horrible when you’re overweight, and when you lose it all of your problems are solved.

I would recommend this to anyone, but especially overweight people. I really have never read a book (seen a movie/tv show, etc) that I relate to this much.

I really want to read it! It would be perfect timing for me to read right now, I am currently trying the Whole30, similar to Paleo.
Weigh loss is an ongoing struggle for me, I appreciate blogs, books etc. that I can relate to.

Beautifully written Kelly! Your authentic love for this book spills out in your own words. I’m slllllowly reading it…unfortunately I fall asleep whenever I pick up books these days! Thanks again for the rec! xo

I had Andie’s book on pre-order the minute she announced it was possible to do so. She taught me how to roast broccoli as well. 🙂 The day the book came I wasnot employed due to a recent move to another town. Which is good because I sat down and read the book in a day. I loved it. I need to read it again. I love your post on why you connect with her because I see myself as well and also look back to significant points in my life that still haunt me concerning my weight. Now I need to go read EPL. I’ve heard great things about it and just never got to it. Was the movie good? Worth watching at all?

Having nearly reached my 90-pounds-gone milestone, I think this book would help give me an extra push to power through to the “end” – at least of this particular journey to reach a healthy weight. Maintenance will be another story! Thanks for the great review which made me want to check this book out!

I have a horrible relationship with food. I want to see what everyone is talking about. It’s about a year out at my library. If I get this book it will be passed about for all to read 🙂 until it finds it way back home and the cycle starts again.

I am not surprised that her book is a HIT! I think you shared the link to her blog a long time ago and I’ve been following her for years! I love how honest this book is. I’ve already read the book once, but I’d love to have my own copy to read over and over and over. Amazing!
PS Cauliflower is awesome.

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I am not a licensed dietitian, nor medical doctor, nor a fitness expert. The purpose of my blog is to share my experiences with weight loss, fitness, and life in general and to offer a little entertainment along the way. If you are seeking a professional opinion on how you should proceed to achieve your personal goals, please consult a professional.